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Jack Katz (born 1927)〔(Jack Katz ) at the Lambiek Comiclopedia〕 is an American comic book artist and writer, painter and art teacher known for his graphic novel ''The First Kingdom'', a 24-issue epic he began during the era of underground comix. Influenced by such illustrative comic-strip artists as Hal Foster and Alex Raymond, Katz attended the School of Industrial Art in New York City. He began working for comic-book publishers in the 1940s, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Though continuing to work in comics through the 1950s, his slow pace and highly detailed, idiosyncratic art style prompted him to leave that field for 14 years. Circa 1969, he returned to mainstream color comics as well as to black-and-white horror-comics magazines, and after a move to California embarked upon ''The First Kingdom'', a serialized work that later became considered a precursor to, or an early form of, the graphic novel. He completed it in 1986, and went on to write and draw further works in that vein, and to teach art. ==Early life and career== Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Canada days after he was born. He returned to the United States when he was around eight years old.〔Amash (2010), p. 3〕〔Zimmerman (1982), p. 38〕 While attending the School of Industrial Art in New York City, he established bonds of friendship with future comic artists Alex Toth, Alfonso Greene and Pete Morisi. Katz's work in mainstream comics spans both the Golden and Silver Ages, and was done under a variety of pseudonyms such as Jay Hawk, Vaughn Beering, Alac Justice, Alec Justice, and David Hadley.〔〔Amash (2010), p. 4〕〔Zimmerman (1982), p. 54〕 He got his start in the industry in 1943, working in the C. C. Beck and Pete Costanza studio〔 on that duo's feature ''Bulletman''.〔Amash (2010), p. 5〕 In 1944〔 or 1945,〔 working as a letterer in the comics studio of Jerry Iger, he became acquainted with artist Matt Baker, whom he considered "one of the top illustrators, and a good storyteller".〔 From 1946 to 1951, he worked as an art assistant on various King Features Syndicate comic strips.〔 As a "detail man", he came into contact with Hal Foster and Alex Raymond, two of the artists who inspired him most in his early years. Katz has considered Foster his "guiding light" since the age of six and believes Foster laid the foundations for the graphic novel. Raymond praised Katz's illustrative style and said that working in comics was a waste of his time. Stanley Kaye, on the other hand, told Katz to persevere.〔Amash (2010), p. 17〕 Katz went to work for Standard Comics and its imprints in 1951, doing horror comics, war comics and some romance comics until the company went out of business. From this period comes some of the earliest work that can be identified as his, such as ''Adventures into Darkness'' #10 (June 1953).〔Amash (2010), p. 21〕 From 1952 to 1956, Katz worked as a penciler and inker at the studio of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon,〔 working alongside Mort Meskin and Marvin Stein. Kirby taught Katz how to ink and use lighting to emphasize dramatic scenes.〔Amash (2010), pp. 37–38〕 A slow worker due to heavy detailing (influenced by the style of illustrator Dean Cornwell), Katz was let go and moved on to Timely Comics under Stan Lee around 1954.〔Amash (2010), p. 40〕〔Zimmerman (1982), p. 37〕 Katz worked on war and horror comics, as well as Westerns, but his pacing continued to cause friction. Without Lee's knowledge, Katz worked on the side for Fiction House, which slowed him down even more.〔Amash (2010), p. 46〕 In 1955 he left mainstream comics to paint and teach art, both privately and for the YMCA in New York City.〔 His hiatus from the industry lasted 14 years. Impressed by Jim Steranko's ''Captain America'', Katz entered mainstream comics for a second time in 1969 and bounced around from job to job.〔Levin (2005), p. 199〕 He first found work with Stan Lee at Marvel Comics and worked on books such as ''Sub-Mariner'', ''Monsters on the Prowl'' and ''Adventure into Fear''. Katz then worked on ''House of Secrets'' and romance comics for DC before moving on to write and illustrate stories for Jim Warren.〔Amash (2010), p. 48〕 Katz got a job with Skywald Publications around 1970, where he believed that he would be able to write his own stories. While there he worked on "Zangar" (from the ''Jungle Adventures'' comic book) and is credited with the full art and script for "The Plastic Plague" in the horror-comics magazine ''Nightmare'' #14 (Aug. 1973).〔Amash (2010), p. 50〕 While remaining with Skywald as an associate editor, Katz moved to California in the early 1970s. It was there he began writing ''The First Kingdom'', integrating into the story ideas that he'd had since his time with Warren Publications.〔Amash (2010), p. 53〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jack Katz (artist)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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